Adrian Gonzalez has played four full seasons in San Diego (after two partial seasons in Texas).

He’s a two-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner (first base). He’s stroked 130 home runs with 400 RBI in his last four seasons and even led the National League with 119 walks in 2009, helping him to a .407 on-base percentage.

He is a great player, which is exactly why he’s playing himself out of San Diego. Due to make $4.75 million in ‘10, with an ‘11 club option of $5.5 million, on a team with a 2009 payroll of $43 million, he’ll soon be too rich for the blood of a second-echelon club that won’t be doing anything or going anywhere this season.

All of which means that Red Sox ears perked up a long time ago, and they’re still enamored with the possibility of adding him. That would be in addition to Kevin Youkilis and in addition to Adrian Beltre, because he has signed a one-year deal to be in Boston (with an ‘11 $5 million player option). After 2010, the Sox could let him slide, move Youkilis to third base and be very, very happy to allow the 27-year-old Gonzalez to join them, helping them overcome their feelings of loss after having seen Mark Teixeira land in New York last winter.

The beauty of this scenario, from the Red Sox eyes, is that the Padres have begun sending out signals that perhaps they won’t be willing to keep Gonzalez around. The most likely development is that they will hang onto him for the first half of the season and then try to trade him at the July 31 deadline.

Padres CEO Jeff Moorad was saying all the right things as spring training approached, but the signs were there.

“I’m still hopeful that Adrian and his representatives help us structure a contract that we can afford and fits into our long-term payroll,” Moorad told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “At some point, Jed (GM Hoyer) will explore whether there is a creative approach that works for all. Until then, I’m going to remain optimistic.”

The Padres were planning to spend even less, about $41 million, on payroll this season, sparking more speculation that they’d be open to landing prospects. While Moorad said the club will gradually increase to about $70 million, he still is averse to having one player earn the $10 million-plus that Gonzalez will likely command.

Page 2 of 2 - “I’m confident that Jed and John Boggs (Gonzalez’s agent) will have a discussion at some point about Adrian and his future. While I’d be thrilled to have him part of the organization for the long term, the early signals indicate his cost will be greater than our ability to pay.”

“I don’t ever want to speak for ownership because I have no knowledge of what they have and what they don’t,” Boggs said. “(But) the feeling we’re getting is more than likely (the Padres) are going to have to trade Adrian Gonzalez because (they) can’t afford him.”

The Red Sox can afford him. The Sox are likely to have a payroll in the vicinity of $165 million this season, but acquiring Gonzalez at mid-season might be a perfect solution. The teams have already spoken about Gonzalez, but any perception that a deal could easily be struck because Hoyer is Sox GM Theo Epstein’s former right-hand man are inaccurate. Hoyer is well versed in Red Sox talent and it’s believed that he’s asked for some major young Red Sox talent. One thing Epstein has steadfastly refused to do during this off-season is to part with any of his highly regarded minor league talent.

By mid-season, however, Epstein could have a better handle on where his club is going and how he projects many of his youngsters. That’s when he could decide to make a move. Ditto for Hoyer.

Reach Mike Fine at mikefine@ledger.com. Read more of his Red Sox coverage in his Dirty Water blog at PatriotLedger.com/sports